IRELAND VOTES TO LEGALIZE DIVORCE

The conservative Association of Ireland says it will challenge the results of the weekend referendum that overturned Ireland's 58-year-old ban on divorce. The Association is basing its fight on a Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that the government had improperly used taxpayer funds to advertise the referendum. TIME's Tony Connelly reports from Dublin that the 50.3 to 49.7 percent vote withstood a stiff last-minute campaign by anti-legalization groups: "The "No" campaign opposing the legalization of divorce had been gaining momentum in recent months. In May of this year, 72 percent polled were in favor of the referendum; but by last week, that number had been reduced to about 45 percent. The opposition has been based in part on the notion that people could be divorced against their will. In the cities, people are expected to vote in favor. But the opposition is strong in the many rural communities. Many farmers are concerned that their farms will go to the women. The church, of course, has been very vocally opposed to the referendum." The last vote on divorce in Ireland went down to defeat in 1986, by a margin of 63 percent to 37 percent.